A Green Beret, a Cybertruck, and a Series of Strange Events

Examining the Vegas Explosion, the Cryptic Email, and the Broader Implications for Media Narratives

After a year jam-packed with unprecedented events and jaw-dropping headlines, most of us were hoping for a quiet start to 2025. Instead, when Americans woke up on January 1—some still groggy from parties the night before (not me, I was asleep by 10 p.m.)—we were greeted by the shocking news of an attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans that claimed 15 lives. While the tragedy seems tied to ISIS sympathies, and I fully acknowledge its significance, it’s what happened just hours later that I’m here to talk about.

At 8:39 a.m. PST, a Cybertruck pulled into the valet area of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, only to explode moments later, killing the driver, Matthew Livelsberger, a former Green Beret. Authorities say Livelsberger detonated an IED inside the vehicle and then shot himself with a .50 caliber Desert Eagle. Since the explosion, this bizarre incident has sparked questions from ex-military insiders, intelligence experts, and, of course, the internet’s favorite theorists.